Kith & Kin: Part 1
by Zeeva
Summary: Tony wasn't 100% alone in college, in fact a part of his old life remains secret. When it comes back to find him it creates 50 layer of awkward between just about everybody, especially between him and Steve. (Rated M for parts & to cover my butt)


**I just realized that this has been posted on my DA account (along with some related pictures) and yet I haven't put it here. Hope you guys enjoy it, and I'll try to get up Part 2. R&R!**

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**Kith and Kin**

**Super-Family**

**Part One**

Tony Stark didn't have a lot of friends in college. He was 15 and one of the smartest, if not _the_ smartest, in the whole school. Most students at MIT either ignored him or felt the need to shove him in the halls, but one student was happy to help the young genius.

Marcus Hayley was the student that got by on average grades and by staying out of the spotlight. Sharing a class with Tony, he was amazed at the young man's intelligence and asked for a tutor. It didn't take long for a friendship to grow and while all they had was each other, it was all they needed. After the two graduated they stayed friends, even after Tony's parents died and he inherited his father's company. But despite Marcus's life fixing computers and Tony's life between partying and maintaining Stark Enterprises, even if it was only monthly visits or short phone calls, the friends stayed close.

Tony wasn't completely amazed to hear that Marcus was getting married. He had even met the woman on one occasion. She was a funny girl, Mary. She was short and cute, not looking much older than Tony who was 23 at the time. Tony proudly attended as a groomsman and wished his friend the best. Not even a year later (which Tony found slightly humorous) he was called back for Marcus to ask if he would be the godfather of his child. Little Samantha Hayley was born on Tony's birthday, March 3rd, when the young genius turned 24.

Tony eagerly took on the responsibilities of a godfather. He would visit or have his goddaughter over whenever possible, but with his fame he chose to keep the little princess's existence in his life out of the media. Marcus lived a life away from the cameras that haunted Tony, but still enjoying his old college friend. However, despite Tony's efforts, tragedy struck his friend.

Tony had a hand on his old friend's shoulder and held Samantha's little hand as after 4 years of marriage, Marcus's wife was lowered into her grave. She had been claimed by a car accident and left her husband and daughter alone. Tony swore to protect his friend even more at the loss, knowing that her death would take quite the toll on his heart.

"Sammy, do you want to go visit Uncle Tony this weekend?" Marcus asked his six-year-old.

Nodding excitedly, she smiled and asked, "When? When can I see him?"

Both men laughed and Tony explained that he would come to pick her up on Friday.

"I might be stopping at a land of magic that happens to be in Florida," Tony teased.

Marcus scoffed and relayed to his little girl, "Uncle Tony is going to spoil you with a day in Disney World."

Tony could only imagine the comical, exaggerated jaw drop on his goddaughter at the news.

"She's a little excited. Just be careful about the candy this time. Last time you had her I was chasing her around for a week before the sugar high wore off."

"No promises."

"Daddy, there's someone at the door," Sammy called back.

"Hang on, Sweetie," Marcus let his daughter know he was coming, "One sec, Tony."

Tony sat on hold as Marcus put the phone down and opened the door for his unexpected guests.

"Marcus Hayley?" A man in black questioned him, looking at a clipboard.

"Yes, that's me."

As soon as Marcus identified himself, the man pulled out a gun and held it to his head. "I'm going to need you to sit down for a moment."

Two men entered, taking Marcus to a seat and tying him down in the kitchen. The original man, tall with brown hair and glasses, was holding Sammy back as she called out for her father.

"Take care of the brat," he demanded as they finished tying up Marcus.

They put her in her father's study, kicking and screaming, also ignoring the yells coming from the phone as Tony tried to figure out what was going on.

"I'm sorry, but Mr. Hayley is busy at the moment, you can either hang up, or listen for more options," the man in glasses cooed into the speaker. He turned to Marcus with his gun and started, "It would appear that you were a witness to our fun the other day."

"Y-your fun?" Marcus tried to remember, "Sammy, cover your ears!"

"Daddy!" She continued to run into the closed door that was being held by one of the men. For six, Sammy was quick. Her father had made sure that she knew how to get out of tight pickles. She started rummaging through his desk while continuing to screech and cry for her father.

"Shut that brat up!"

The man in front of the door turned around and opened it when a gun shot rang through the house.

"SAMMY!" Marcus cried for his little girl.

Another shot.

"Oh, God, SAMMY! Let my little girl go, it's me you want! I don't know what I saw, but please leave her alone!"

"It's too late for that, Mr. Hayley. And you know exactly what you saw."

"Daddy!"

Marcus and the man in glasses turn to see Sammy, her father's small pistol in hand and bloody footprints leading down the hall. The two men looked down the hall to see the other two men groaning, one holding his arm while the other held his stomach.

"Get away!" She yelled at the man.

"Marcus! What is going on?! Is Sammy alright?! Marcus?!" Tony's voice yelled from the phone on the table.

"What are you going to do, Little One? Sh-"

Another loud bang filled the house as the man in glasses fell to the floor. Sammy stumbled backwards, just as she had with the other two shots, but this time she slipped from the blood on her shoes and landed on her butt.

"Sammy!" Marcus called his little girl to him.

"Marcus! What happened?!"

"U-Uncle Tony," Tony heard Sammy in the phone ready to cry, "Th-They were going to hurt Daddy!"

"Were? Sammy what happened? The police should be there any minute. Are you okay? Was that a gun? Who's hurt?"

"I-I fell down," she cried, "And the bad boys are all on the floor."

"What? Sammy, give the phone to your father."

Sammy did as she was told, first untying him from the chair, pulling out a loose tooth in the process from using her teeth on the tight knots.

"Tony? You still there?"

"Yeah, I called the cops as soon as I heard them coming in. What happened? Sammy said she fell, I heard gun shots-"

"It's fine Tony, I handled them. I shot them and while two of them are just badly injured, the one with the gun is dead." Marcus held his little girl close and tried to look strong for her. We're alright."

Tony never got the full story out of Marcus, only that he had seen two men the day before loading a car with suitcases and he heard them mention drugs. He'd never thought that that one moment could lead to him bound to a chair in his own home begging for his daughter's life.

Tony decided it best to hire a live-in bodyguard for his friend, and continued to visit even more, until his captivity. Tony was 36 and facing death and in his darkest moment with the help of a fellow scientist, created Ironman. Once the hero was born, Tony saw less and less of his friend and goddaughter. It would be almost seven years later when he really entered their lives again, and not on a happy note.

Tony pinched the bridge of his nose and tried to calm down. Why did Steve make him so nervous now? They weren't even that close on the couch. He groaned and thanked whoever there was to thank for his limo, Happy, and the availability of a quick escape. A sudden thud on the roof told him he spoke too soon. He flinched when he heard a gun fire and the ricochet off the bullet proof glass of the sun roof.

"You gotta be fucking kidding me!" A voice yelled.

Tony grabbed one of the bottles of champagne, jumping again when the window shattered open and a black and blonde blur fell into the car. "I need to get to Stark Indust-" The blonde fell to the floor with a sudden strike to the back of her head.

"Shall I head to the police, Sir?" Happy asked for his orders.

"No, the hospital," Tony spotted a red stain growing on her side, "Looks like someone else hit her before I did."

The last place anyone wants to wake up is alone in a hospital bed. Adding in that it was after a night of running from guys with weapons and the handcuffs keeping you confined to a bed, shock and a panic attack seemed to be the only way to respond. "H-Hello?"

"Who are you?" A deep and stern voice came from the other side of a white curtain. Tony had been there all night waiting for his invader to wake up. He felt it best that since the girl, or woman (she was right in the brink in between, making him unsure) was looking for him, he should stay out of sight until he had his answers.

"I-I can't say. Please, I need to see Tony Stark," Tony could hear the fear in her fragile voice.

"What do you need with Stark? Money?"

"H-his name is Tony. Don't call him by his last name. It pisses me off, and no, I'm not looking for money. I have a message for him."

"Who was chasing you?"

"I'm not entirely sure. Please, I need to talk to Tony."

Her pleading was starting to hit him, but he needed more answers. "What is the message?"

"It doesn't matter to you! But if you must know, my father lied to him, ok?! Now Please, I need to talk to Uncle Tony!"

Tony stop breathing for a moment, "Did you just say 'Uncle' Tony?"

He could hear her shuffle, "N-no. Tony doesn't have any siblings."

Taking a breath he stepped up from the curtain. Her eyes open and pleading, it was obvious now. He caught her look of shock and watched as she broke down in tears. It had been a long time since he held his little goddaughter, letting her cry on his shoulder.

"U-Uncle Tony," she hiccupped and clung to his shirt.

He hushed her and stroked the back of her head, "It's alright. I'm here."

"Uncle Tony, can you take the handcuffs off me now?"

"Oh, right," Tony jumped up and released her wrist. "Sorry, I was a little cautious after a crazy girl smashed into my limo using a stiletto."

Sammy chuckled, "Funny thing is, I never wear them, but they can be useful."

"So, what happened, Sammy?" He sat on the bed and pulled her close again.

Resting her head on his welcoming shoulder she explained, "Remember when I was a kid and those guys came to our house? You were on the phone with Daddy."

"Yes, we were going to go to Disney World," He kissed her forehead.

"Well, Daddy lied to you. He said that he had witnessed some guys loading suitcases into a car and they were talking about drugs or something, but he lied. He was working on some guy's computer. Just routine stuff, when a file popped up and he opened it by accident." She sniffled and Tony squeezed her. "It was a file on a human trafficking ring. They came to take care of him that night. They put me in the study."

"And he shot them. That part I know."

"No he didn't. He was tied to a chair. I shot them."

Tony blinked and looked at the girl in his arms. She looked so much like her mother, her dark blonde hair, facial features, and curvy figure, but she had her father's gray-blue eyes. It seemed hard to believe that she had grown up when she looked at him with the same sad eyes as she did when their dog chewed on her favorite My Little Pony. "Sammy, you were six."

"Hence why Daddy told you that he shot them."

"So, that was what, twelve years ago? What does it have to do with now?"

"They got him, Uncle Tony," Sammy started to well up again, "Last month, they got him."

Pulling her in tight and trying not to cry himself, he knew that Sammy needed the comfort more than him. "I'm so sorry, Sammy," he whispered. He let her cry and asked her what she needed.

"I told you, I don't need anything. Daddy told me that if anything happened to him I was to give my two weeks at work, pack as much as I could without it looking like I wasn't coming back, and I had to find you and tell you the truth."

"So what are you going to do now? You're unemployed, homeless, and on the run in the city."

"Daddy mentioned I change my name and just start over somewhere new."

"Yeah, no," Tony finally smiled, "You'll come work for me as a secretary and I'll find a house or something for you outside of the city."

"Really, Uncle Tony?"

"Of course. I'm gonna take care of you, Sammy. The only thing is that we need to distance ourselves in public."

"Alright, Mr. Stark," she forced a smile.

Tony went to tickle her tummy, but remembered he bullet they had pulled out of her side. "Let's stick with 'Uncle Tony' when it's just you and me, ok?"

"Thank you, Uncle Tony," she finally truly smiled and hugged him, "You've always been like a second Dad to me."

"Yeah, well, don't start calling me Dad; else we'll have a real problem on our hands."

Tony finally returned back to the tower about noon. He tried to sneak in, but he was bombarded with his fellow Avengers.

"Tony, where were you?!" Natasha was flustered, "Steve said you went out and then you don't come back til now? We were getting worried!"

"What did you do? Are you ok?" Bruce was timid as ever, not trying to demand information, but still trying to figure out the answers.

"Why scare us, Man of Iron?" Thor boomed over the other's bickering.

"Look, I needed some air, so I went out and got caught up with something. Geeze, Mom," Tony tried to evade the questions. If he was going to keep his relationship with Sammy secret, it needed to be secret from the Avengers, too. He spotted Steve on the couch, holding his head and looking at his feet. "Hey, Cap," he greeted.

Steve looked like he hadn't slept all night. "Have fun last night?" he sneered.

The words hit Tony hard and he tried to come up with an excuse. "It's a long story, Steve."

"Shut it, Stark," Tony understood Sammy's hate for people calling him by his last name now, "You just walked out and left us to wonder what happened. Be a man and just explain yourself."

Not sure of what to say, Tony just bowed his head and said, "I can't."

Shaking his head at his friend, Steve left the living room to try and get some sleep now that his disappearing friend was home.

"Hey Guys," Tony called the avengers to the lobby of Stark Tower to introduce the new girl that would be working the front desk. She wore her dark blonde hair in a ponytail, a pair of black, thick rimmed glasses over her gray-blue eyes, and her short, curvy figure was dressed in its best with a knee length green skirt and black sweater. "This is Sammy. I set up a landline that comes here so our cells can be strictly avenger and friend use. Last thing we need is telemarketers calling us in battle."

"So she knows who we are?" Clint quirked an eyebrow.

Tony nodded, "Her job is to keep our aliases and personal lives separate on a memo level. So instead of dealing with superhero stuff and a personal life, that'll be Sammy's job."

He had to explain it to her. He had to let her know why he had all but disappeared seven years ago. Oddly, she wasn't too shocked to hear he was Ironman. She was more excited about meeting Captain America and the rest of the Avengers. He wished he could tell Steve that even his goddaughter was a huge fan of the American Hero.

The group greeted Sammy and shook her hand, welcoming her to the tower, but Tony caught that something was still bothering Steve, if not more so than before. He chose it best to ignore it. Whatever was bothering Steve, would either come out or blow over.

Tony paced back and forth in his lab, only looking up when he saw Sammy enter, but he didn't acknowledge her. He kept an eye on her as she came in and put a sandwich down on his desk.

"Captain Rogers told me to bring this down for you," she told him. "He said it's not uncommon for you to spend days down here living off of whatever snacks you have in your drawers."

He couldn't help but smile. Steve knew him too well and even after not talking to him for almost a week, he was still worried about him. "Thanks, Sammy."

"Hey, it was all him. He told me to take the credit but I didn't see the point. He really cares about you."

"Yeah, well, that's what friends do. They care about and take care of each other." He sat down at his desk and looked over the sandwich.

Sammy sat on his desk across from him and smile. "I take it you haven't told him that you like him yet?"

Tony nearly choked on his bite of sandwich. Coughing, he managed a "What?"

Sammy could compete with the Cheshire Cat the way she was looking at him. "Come on, Uncle Tony," she rolled her eyes, "My gay-dar might be off but I can tell when people like each other."

"It's not like that," Tony denied, "I'm not gay."

"Please, you have the most overused plot in history: You love your best friend. There are several stories since the whole homosexual revolution started that revolved around guys and girls realizing that they have more than friendship feelings for their best friends of the same gender."

Tony raised an eyebrow, "You shouldn't be reading that stuff."

"Uncle Tony, I'm 18. As soon as I was old enough to download porn without consent, you and Daddy couldn't stop me."

Chuckling and shaking his head, Tony knew she was right. "Either way, it doesn't matter. Steve is the blue eyed, blonde haired, All American, Boy Scout hero. He's straight."

"Who said the American Hero has to be straight? America is all about freedom, remember?"

He laughed again, "Get back to work, you slacker."

Scooting off his desk, she headed back to the elevator and waved good-bye as she headed back to her desk.

Left alone in his quiet lab again, Tony stared down at the sandwich and smiled, but shook his head. "You're delusional, Sammy. Even if he was, why the Hell would he go for a fuck up like me?" He looked in one of the top drawers and pulled out a frame containing a picture of him and Sammy on their trip to Disney World. He couldn't really remember the last time he smiled as big as he did with Sammy on his back, complete with personalized Mickey ears and a lollipop bigger than Tony's face. The six-year-old always knew how to break him out of a funk, even now. He still kind of refused to believe that Sammy was an adult. In his head she'd always be that cute little girl with big blue-gray eyes and missing her two front teeth.

Steve saw Sammy come back up from Tony's lab. He tried to stay out of view, but she saw him.

"He said thank you, Cap," she smiled.

The Captain wouldn't tell her, but he found it oddly irritating that she called him the same name as Tony. He certainly wouldn't admit it was because he didn't like her so comfortable with Tony. If anything it irked him even more that Tony was getting so close with his young secretary. It was cliché, even for Tony, but as much as it annoyed him, he didn't really have a valid reason to not like her.

He watched her get comfortable back at her desk, putting in what Tony explained were "ear buds" and rocking her head to whatever music was playing. "What are you listening too?" He figured that if he was going to have to deal with Tony's new girl, he might as well make the best of it.

Sammy looked to him wide-eyed and blushed, "Just some country music. Wanna listen?" She unplugged her music player to let him hear.

It wasn't jazz, but he found it interesting. "What's this song?"

"Courtesy of the Red, White, and Blue," she smiled, "Seems like a song you might enjoy." She started bobbing her head and started singing,

"Man, we lit up your world like the fourth of July.

Hey, Uncle Sam put your name at the top of his list,  
And the Statue of Liberty started shaking her fist.  
And the eagle will fly and it's gonna be hell,  
When you hear Mother Freedom start ringing her bell.  
And it'll feel like the whole wide world is raining down on you.  
Ah, brought to you, courtesy of the red, white and blue."

Steve agreed, it was a song that he could relate to. "That's pretty good," he thought for a minute, "I've never heard Tony listen to anything like this." It was wrong, he knew it, it was a dirty move, but he was hoping she was so much of a fan of this music that she would be upset that Tony wasn't.

"U-Mr. Stark is a city guy," She averted her eyes, "I'm from a small town in New Hampshire. Country is kind of my thing. I'm not huge on the city. No clear skies and it's all loud. I'd kill to go home and go mudding in my old jeep."

Steve sighed. Of course it wouldn't work. What was he thinking? He needed to stop.

"Captain, are you alright?" Sammy distracted him with her curious big blue eyes. "Something is obviously bothering you."

Steve had to hold back saying, "Yes, you being so close with the man I'm in love with." He shook his head and said, "It's nothing. Just stress."

She seemed to smile a little, "Should I talk to Mr. Stark for you?"

"No, it's got nothing to do with him," Steve quickly walked away and went back up to the elevator. The nerve she had. What was it about her that had Tony giving her all of his attention? She'd been working there for almost two weeks and since then, Tony had been leaving late at night, obviously to go be with her, and returning early in the morning.

He slammed his forehead on the elevator wall. He was putting himself through Hell for nothing, all because Tony seemed to treat him better than everyone else. Tony was his best friend! He looked to the floor and combed his hair out of his face. Tony was his best friend; of course he was nice to him. That didn't mean that he had feelings for Steve. Stepping out onto his floor, he got comfy on Tony's couch in front of the TV. He would have liked to turn it on, but Tony had still not taught him how.

The clock read 11:32 when he sat back up from his thoughts. Tony would probably be over at Sammy's, or as he would tell them "having a meeting" by now, and everyone else was in bed, but he couldn't sleep. His mind was filled with everything between him and Tony.

He remembered them together in the lab, Tony working on the Captain's shield, and Steve could have sworn he caught Tony staring at him. Or the two of them sparing in the gym, and it seemed like Tony was red from blushing, not his workout. Even a couple of nights before Tony's adventures to Sammy's, they were together on the couch and maybe it was just Steve, but the air about seemed more tense. In fact, that was the night is really started. They had been sitting together, and it seemed like Tony was frustrated about something. Eventually the genius left the couch and said he was going out for some air. He hadn't come back until the morning and even then something was troubling him. A couple days later, Sammy was introduced as their new secretary. Then it was almost every other night that Tony would go out and visit with her. What had happened that night?

Tony walked in, startling Steve, which in turn startled Tony. "Fuck, Rogers," Tony tried to slow his heart rate, "What are you doing up?"

"Couldn't sleep," Steve admitted. He saw Tony's expression grow soft.

"You okay, Big Guy?" Grabbing a couple of beers from the fridge he joined Steve on the couch, "It's not the nightmares again, is it?"

Steve felt his face turn red. Dammit, why did Tony always have to be so nice? "No, no, it's not the nightmares. Just some stuff on my mind," he took the beer from Tony without looking up. "How was the meeting?"

Tony took a deep breath and closed his eyes. "Life just isn't fair, you know? Bad things always happen to good people."

Nodding at the statement, Steve combed his fingers through his blonde hair and looked to Tony, who now looked as lost in thought as he was moments before. "Are you okay?"

Tony nodded and put a hand on Steve's knee. "You should get some sleep," he said, his tired brown eyes finally meeting with Steve's blue ones. He got up and headed to his room, leaving Steve tinted pink on the couch.

Steve gave up and headed to bed himself, concluding that it was all just Tony being his friend, and nothing more.

Steve woke up the next morning and went for his run. He had decided long ago that even if he didn't need to run to stay in shape, running was the only time he could escape from everything. Sure he could relieve some tension in the gym with his punching bags, but someone always came in. Out in his sweats in the city fresh air of the local park, he was alone with his thoughts.

He had run about two miles when he caught sight of a couple of guys in the woods. A mix of curiosity and suspicion made him stop to watch them.

"Come on, Rob, we're almost there."

"I'm coming, I'm coming. I'm not on track like you, remember?"

"You should though," the taller boy joined his tired friend, "You'd look cute in a pair of those running shorts. Give me something to chase after." He grabbed the other boy's butt and smiled.

Steve blushed as he watch what was obviously these two escaping the world for a private moment. He decided to watch and keep an eye out to make sure no one else saw them.

Rob hip-checked his friend and laughed, "It'd be hard to hide in a pair of those shorts if you get that turned on by me wearing them."

The boy blushed and Rob stole a kiss.

Looking away for the moment, Steve sighed and pondered. He wished he could sneak off with Tony that way, but not only would Tony not oblige, but these two were lucky they had Captain America keeping an eye out for them. What if someone else saw? Suddenly he heard footsteps and looked back to the boys.

"Ewww," a girl said, "Robbie and Michael are kissing."

Steve was about to jump when he heard the group laugh.

"You're just jealous, Katie," Rob smile and pulled his friend closer.

"How so?"

"Because my boyfriend is cuter than yours," The other boy, Mike, Steve assumed, answered with a smile and the girl, Katie, joined them.

"Hey, my boyfriend is adorable. You'd do him."

Steve tried not to laugh as Mike turned red and Rob pretended to glare at him. Seeing that they were fine, Steve went back on his way, thinking about if he ever brought Tony to the woods. What would happen? Finishing his run, he took a shower. Normally his shower wouldn't consist of much more than a simple shampoo and rinse, but he spent his whole way home thinking about Tony.

The cold water wasn't cold enough and he took hold of his soldier to be rid his body of his horrible thoughts. Thoughts of Tony in short running shorts, of kissing him in the peacefulness of the woods. Of stripping him down with nothing but the sounds of nature and their heavy breathing in the air. He quickened his hand's speed and thought about Tony's sweet mouth trailing over him while Steve's hands ran over the genius's dark haired, muscular body. He bit his lip as he grew closer to climax, imagining Tony being the one to play with him and get him off instead of his hand. Maybe Tony's mouth… He grunted out what could have been heard as Tony's name, releasing himself under the still-not-cold-enough water. Rinsing off and getting dressed, he tried to think of something else, but it wasn't happening.

This was getting out of hand. Steve leaned back in his chair, glad the pile of papers was blocking him from view if someone were to come in. His face was bright red from his encounter with Tony in the elevator. All they did was stand next to each other as Tony went to his lab and Steve went to his office. Nonetheless, it was nearly impossible to be within five feet of the genius and not be hitting himself for his thoughts. The image of pushing Tony against the wall of the elevator, taking in the taste of him, maybe stopping the elevator completely, pulling the emergency stop and stripping Tony down right there as to have his impure way with him.

Steve groaned and slammed his head on his desk. What was he thinking? How do men even do that? And even then, men _don't_ do that, especially New York's most eligible bachelor, Tony Stark. To make matters more complicated, Tony was currently seeing Sammy. Despite trying to hide it from everyone, it was painfully obvious. Steve couldn't blame him either. Sammy was no Peggy. She wasn't going to be joining the army anytime soon, and she was no present day model, but he remembered many pictures of pinup girls men kept in their bags that curvy little Sammy could give a run for their money. Plus she was young, which in some ways that was one of his arguments against her being with Tony. She was fresh out of high school and Tony was old enough to be her father, but Tony wasn't exactly known for discrimination of age when it came to the girl in his bed, "As long as she's willing and legal."

Taking deep breaths to try and calm the painfully throbbing member in his pants, he was getting tired of whatever was wrong with him. He was tired of thinking about Tony the way he should be thinking of girls, tired of getting jealous when he saw him chatting it up with Sammy about her night, and he was tired of hiding his face behind the piles of papers in his office listing what he was tired of.

"Captain Rogers?" That last person he wanted to see right now knocked on his door.

Taking another breath and making sure he was hidden behind his desk, he called in Sammy.

"Wow, I didn't realize you had to fill out so much. You know I could help you out with that. That's part of why Mr. Stark hired me."

"It's fine Sammy," Steve tried to refrain from mentioning why else Tony hired her. "What do you need?"

Sammy looked down for a minute and back up at the man behind the papers. "Umm… Well, Mr. Fury found out about Mr. Stark hiring me and assigned me to be your 21st century courtesan of sorts."

"What?" Steve finally looked up from the paper he was pretending to work on.

"Pretty much he wants me to be on call for any questions you might have. He wants you to be as up to speed with the times as possible. To be honest I don't see the point of having me be on call for it. I find it charming that you are still learning, and it's not like the others don't answer your questions, right? But, Mr. Fury wants me to be like your therapist, since you refuse one, so everything you ask is 100% confidential."

The captain sat back, happy that the awkwardness of the conversation was helping relieve the pressure between his legs, but still confused and slightly annoyed with Fury and his loopholes. "Why you?"

"He said because I'm young and my younger views would probably be of better use for you than an older one. Again, not entirely sure." She looked back to her shoes. Seeing her cheeks tinge pink, again, it was obvious why Tony was leaving late to be with her, she was adorable. "So do you have any questions?"

Steve tried to think of one or two so she could leave and both could honestly tell Fury that she had helped. "How old are you?"

"I'm 18, Sir."

"What do you feel would be some good questions?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, he chose you because you were young. What things have changed between you and Tony's generations?"

"So like a last 'decades highlights' kind of question?"

"Sure."

Sammy bit her lip to think, "That's actually not as simple as you'd think. I'm not from New York. My dad and I lived in a small town in New Hampshire, and I don't pay much attention to politics."

"Well, what can you think of?"

"Umm… The Sox reversed the curse in 2004-"

"The Sox? The Red Sox?"

"I'm from New Hampshire, Captain Rogers," she managed a prideful smile, "I ain't a Yankees fan. I'm all Boston. New England Patriots, Celtics, Bruins, and Red Sox."

Steve smiled and let out a chuckle, "So I shouldn't go to you for sports?"

"Probably not, no. Plus if I really get into a game, I tend to swear like a sailor, so I wouldn't ask me for a score in a Yankee vs. Sox game either."

"Good to know," he laughed again, "What else?" He watched Sammy shift her weight back and forth as she thought.

She explained 9/11, making Steve's heart sink, the employment levels and horrible economy (mostly her annoyance with gas prices), the first black president, the war in Afghanistan (or what she could try to explain. She wasn't kidding when she said she wasn't one for politics), Hurricane Katrina and the tsunami near India, Swine flu and Bird flu, and her expectance of the oncoming Zombie apocalypse. She bit her lip as she thought again, "the overall advancement of technology, but I'm sure you've figured that out what with living with U-Mr. Stark. Oh, the legalization of gay marriage. There's kinda a war of society with that now though. Some states are welcoming it with open arms, but others, not so much. Mass was one of the first. I know New York and Cali-"

"Gay marriage in New York? What do you mean?"

Sammy quirked an eyebrow, "Gay marriage is legal in New York, yes."

"What do you mean by gay marriage?"

"Two people that are of the same sex."

"That's ok?"

"Do I need to sit you down in front of _Will & Grace_ or _Big Brother_?" Sammy smiled.

Steve was lost in thought, "So there are guys that are with other men, and it's accepted?"

"Well, like I said, not 100%, but for the most part, yeah. I mean, any group is going to get crap for their beliefs. I say if you are in love, then you're in love. Those stupid butterflies in your stomach don't recognize gender very well."

"Do you know anyone that is?" Steve couldn't tell if he was sounding more eager than he should. He had asked a lot of questions about the 9/11 attack, even how Sammy had found out. She had explained that she was in school when the Vice Principal came in to tell the class. But he'd only had one or two questions about everything else and now he was grilling her about same sex marriage.

"A few, actually. Captain Rogers," she gave him a kind look, "You can be honest with me, remember? Don't feel shy about what you're really thinking."

Steve turned red, "I don't know what you mean. I think we're done for today."

Sammy looked hurt, "Ok." She started to the door when she saw the Captain turn his chair away. "If it means anything, Sir," she took a deep breath, "You really aren't alone. I'm here if you need a friend."

Steve swallowed his pride, "Sammy," he caught her before she left, "Thank you."

"It's no problem, Sir," she smiled, happy to know he wasn't mad at her for being so bold. Taking another risk she said, "And just some advice, the best way to approach something like this is to just grab it and take control. Hell, I know a couple of guys that would love for someone to just grab the reins."

The blush was back, "Thank you, Sammy." He heard her let out a giggle as she left. Wrapping his head around what he had just learned. Steve combed his fingers through his blonde hair, trying to decide on an action. It appeared that he and Tony both being males wasn't _the_ issue anymore. Curious as to how man had a physical relationship, he did the one thing Sammy and Tony had warned him not to do. He "Googled" it.

Steve stood, still trying to erase the images from his laptop out of his brain, taking the elevator to see Sammy. She was at her desk, filing her nails and playing on her computer. Trying to diminish the red glow of his cheeks he took a breath and approached her desk. "I did a bad thing," he said to her. She looked up and spotted the red all over his face. "That doesn't seem comfortable or romantic at all. Men being with men…"

Sammy's eyes went wide, "You Googled it, didn't you?"

Steve nodded.

"Dear God, Captain Rogers! You never, never, EVER Google porn unless you know how to use the advanced search. It'll scar you for life!" She combed her hair out of her face and sighed, "If you wanted porn, you could have just asked." She hit a couple of clicks and turned back to him. "I prefer comics, so I just emailed you some of my favorites."

"Sammy, that's not what I meant."

"If you prefer literature, which I know you do," she hit a few more keys, "I just sent you link for those too."

"Sammy…"

"Hey, I'll keep your secret if you keep mine," she gave him her kind smile, "No one needs to know what things I look up, and same goes for you."

Steve was still too embarrassed, but the red on the secretary's face made it a little easier, "Thanks Sammy."

"Don't mention it, ever," she smiled and he messed up her hair. At least Tony knew how to pick the good girls. "Hello, Mr. Stark," Sammy's voice nearly cracked and Steve jumped.

"Hey," Tony walked up cautiously to the flustered pair. He looked between the two that weren't making eye contact. "Sammy," he seemed hurt and ashamed, "You didn't."

"I…" She seemed confused, "OH! NO! No, no, no, no, no. It's not what you think!" Steve nervously chuckled at Sammy's embarrassment. Seeing she wasn't making any progress, she sighed and shook her head, "How was your lunch date, Mr. Stark?"

"It was fine. It's annoying having to go on these dates for the press."

"Dates?" Steve spoke up.

"Yeah," Tony didn't look at the hero, "I've been going on dates because the press hasn't seen me out very much. I've been here."

"It's only got to be worse when you aren't interested in any of them," Sammy commented.

"Well, what can you do?" Tony headed to the elevator.

"He's been going on dates?" Steve still seemed confused, "But I thought he was dating you?"

Sammy lost her water, choking and trying to breathe. "You thought he what?"

"What did you think he meant? Why the 'no no no?"

It was almost too astounding the things that went through the Captain's head. Sammy stared, awe struck before saying, "He thought you and I had done things. You thought he and I were what?"

"You aren't together?" Steve seemed slow on the uptake.

Sammy slapped her forehead and pointed to the elevator, "Just go, Captain." Her kind smile changed into mischievous smirk that could compete with the crooked smile of Tony Stark in cockiness. She let out a chuckle and shook her head, watching the Captain run to the elevator in confusion.

Covering his face and waiting, the flustered captain got in the elevator to go up. He knew Bruce was in the lab, and sure that Tony had gone to join him. He assumed Natasha and Clint were in the gym. When the doors opened to the living room, Thor was lounging on the couch with a cheeseburger, incredibly focused on the television. It was just another slow day at the Avenger's tower.

He joined Thor, not really caring what was on the TV, but he needed to think. Still not entirely sure what he was supposed to be thinking about, it seemed pretty cut and dry that Tony had a relationship with Sammy and had no intentions of pursuing one with him. But then Sammy acted the way she did and saying that Tony thought that he was doing "things" with the secretary? Now he was beyond confused.

"Excuse me, Miss," a tall man walked up to the desk. It was creepy men like this that made Sammy wish Tony would let her keep a gun under her desk. He reminded her of the tall, skinny villains from kids' movies. Everything down to the goatee made her think of Jafar from Aladdin, only he was wearing a nicely fitted suit, had a full head of black hair, and was lacking the snake magic wand.

"What can I help you with Mr…" She put on her customer service smile and waited for his name.

"Geralds," he introduced himself with a serpent smile, "Mathew Geralds. I'm here to speak with Tony Stark."

"Just a sec, I'll page him," Sammy tried not to take her eyes off the suspicious gentleman. She really shouldn't worry, it's not like this was the first creeper coming in to talk with Tony. Most rich guys looked like they were planning world domination.

"You look familiar," Mr. Geralds commented, his eyes raking over her. "You wouldn't happen to know a Marcus Hayley, would you?"

"I might," Sammy tried to stay calm despite her heartbeat racing and her brain screaming for Tony to answer his phone.

"Are you little Sammy? My, you grew up well."

"Mr. Stark," Sammy squeaked when she heard him finally answer the phone, "There is a gentleman at the front desk for you." She gulped, "I suggest you wear your good suit."

"You know, last time I saw you, the only time really, was when you and your father were waiting outside with the police while they removed two dead bodies and a wounded man from your house. I considered killing you when I met you, but I think I could find a better use for you."

Tony fixed his cuffs as he went down the elevator. "Wear your good suit,' she says," he mimicked Sammy and waited for the doors to open. He walked into the lobby to see a tall man standing by Sammy's desk, but no Sammy to be found. "You scared away my secretary," he pointed out, "How can I help you."

"Oh, this won't take long," Geralds pulled out a gun to put to Tony's head. "I believe Sammy told you about what happened to her father."

Tony was kicking himself. That was what she meant by the good suit. The bullet proof one. "Look," he tried to talk down Geralds, "I don't know what you think Sam and I know, but it's really very little. I have no idea who you are, what you're doing, or why you're here. I can, however, assume that you're the reason that she isn't at her desk."

"You'd be surprised what a girl like her will go for."

Tony jumped the tall man, knocking the gun out of his hand, but Geralds was able to release himself from Tony's grip.

"Sammy?" he called, hoping she was still alive and in the building. He heard a muffled noise come from behind the desk. He looked over quickly to find her tied and gagged. "Hang on a second," he told her and pressed the speaker button on the phone.

Steve and Thor perked up at the sound of bells chiming.

"What in Asgard is that?" Thor looked to the ceiling. The bells ended as suddenly as they began and they listened to what sounded like a scuffle.

"It must be the PA system," Steve headed to the elevator, Thor close behind.

"But where is it?"

"I'm going to assume the front desk, where Sammy's PA system is set up for calling us." The doors opened to Tony being thrown about. "Tony!" Steve knelt down to help the genius that was beaten on the floor while Thor started on the tall man smirking from the middle of the room.

"He- he's not human," Tony got out, "I don't know what he is, but he's stronger than he looks."

"Tony, come on. Tony, look at me," Steve tried to keep him conscious.

"Go help Sammy," he managed, "He tied her up behind the desk."

Steve was stuck between helping his best friend and secret love, or the innocent girl that was the object of his best friend's affection and his secret rival. He cursed his hero nature and put Tony on the floor to assist Sammy. He missed the flying god that was thrown from the middle of the room.

"My fight isn't with you," Geralds told the tired giant. He was emanating a black aura, looking like a dark mist of pure evil. "I'm here to clean the slate. Get rid of my witnesses." He went back to Tony, who was trying to fight the pain to protect Sammy and Steve.

Captain America got Sammy untied and checked to make sure she was alright.

"I'm fine," she pushed the rope away and stood up. Spotting the gun Geralds had started with, she ran out from the desk and slid to grab it.

Steve was shocked at her quick chase for the gun, but his attention was back on Tony.

Geralds lifted the wounded man off the floor by his neck, Tony's coughs and struggles willing the room.

"TONY!"

"UNCLE TONY!"

Steve ran to help him, but was drawn back when a bullet cut him off. He and Geralds looked to Sammy, eyes a fire and pistol at the ready. "Put him DOWN!" She shot again, this time only missing his head due to his extremely fast speed. He had dropped Tony and was dabbing the blood dripping from his cheek. "You little Br-"

As Geralds went to charge, Sammy didn't move, didn't budge or shake. She stood strong and fired. Geralds was on the floor, bleeding through the hole in the middle of his forehead. "Rule number two," she stood over his body and fired again, "Doubletap." She threw the gun and ran over to Steve and Tony on the floor. "Uncle Tony, listen to me. You have to stay awake. Stay with me, Uncle Tony!"

"Sammy, he's going to be alright," Steve stopped her panicking, "I'll carry him to the infirmary."

But it was too much at once, Sammy threw her arms around her injured uncle and cried.

"Sam, you need to learn to listen," Tony spoke, "Steve's right, I'll be fine." He wiped a tear from her cheek and rubbed the top of her head. He looked to Steve, still not knowing where he and the super soldier stood, but the Captain lifted him up and they headed to the elevator, Thor and Sammy right behind. "I should call a maid," he smiled and leaned on Steve. Right now it didn't matter if Steve loved him. Right now he was protected in Steve's arms and he would take whatever he could get.

Sammy and Steve sat across from each other, one on each side of Tony's bed. The air was overly awkward, or maybe it was just Steve. Had he heard her right, or was it just the excitement that made him think she had called Tony her uncle? Tony was an only child, wasn't he? Deciding it was better to ask than sit in silence, Steve spoke up. "So, Uncle Tony?"

He could see Sammy's face become overcome with shock and embarrassment. "I didn't say that, did I?"

"I think you did. A couple of times," he tried to smile.

"Shit," she cursed, "Sorry, Mr. Stark, looks like the secret's out."

"Secret?"

Sammy shook her head and pulled out a wallet size picture of her and Tony at what looked like an amusement park. "He's my godfather."

"He's your…" It was Steve's turn to blush. He hadn't seen that coming. "But… why the secret?"

"That guy, Geralds, he killed my dad about a month ago. I was told to find Uncle Tony, and when I did, Uncle Tony decided I should work for him and he could keep an eye on me. Make sure that those guys didn't come after me. Looks like it didn't matter." Sammy rubbed her thumb on the back of her uncle's hand.

Steve took hold of her other hand and smiled, "He's going to be fine." It got a small smile out of her, but she still seemed worried, and it was only natural. "So," he mustered up the courage to confirm his now growing suspicion, "You were already on to me. About Tony."

This time she smiled and chuckled a little, "Oh Yeah."

It was impossible to hide his blush, "It was that obvious?"

"Not to him," she laughed and looked back to the embarrassed hero. "You'll do him good, Captain. He needs you."

"You say that," Steve shook his head, "But you heard him, all those dates."

"Captain, you two are gonna drive me nuts with yours and his 'he doesn't like me.' Just kiss the old man and take my word for it."

Steve sat up at her bluntness and smiled. "Thanks, Sammy."

"No problem, Uncle Steve," the two laughed and chatted until they fell asleep at Tony's bedside.

Nothing compared to the headache that came after being unconscious. Tony shuffled some, grunted as he moved. When his vision focused he found two blondes dead asleep on his bed. The smile couldn't be helped. Sammy looked like the six-year-old that she would always be to him, and while Steve's face look mostly peaceful, he was clutching to the sheets of the bed. He patted both of their heads, his fingers getting tangled in Sammy's mess of long hair while he combed through Steve simple locks. "Morning," he welcomed when he felt the two start to stir under his touch.

"Uncle Tony!" Sammy jumped and hugged the man. He hugged back and took a good breather. It was nice to have her caring arms around him after the day before.

"You didn't think I'd be okay? I've been through worse."

Sammy lightly punched his shoulder, "I'll go get you some water." She smiled at him, then looked to Steve.

Ah, Steve. The lecherous scoundrel that he'd caught with his goddaughter less than twenty-four hours ago. It really made it hard for him to be mad when Steve looked at him with those blue eyes.

"She's been really worried about you," Steve finally spoke, an obvious nervousness in his tone.

"She had you here," Tony tried to bite back. He would admit, he was just as hurt that Sammy knew about his feelings, but he still found the two of them blushing and caught red handed. But she was gone before he could focus on his anger, while Steve stood there, blushing all cute like and scratching the back of his neck. Stop being adorable, damn you!

Steve took a deep breath and started again, "I was worried about you too." It was now or never. Sammy said to just do it, to just kiss him. She had left with the intent to give them privacy. They had talked about it the night before while they waited for Tony to wake up. He swallowed and grabbed Tony's hand, tightening his grip as he leaned in to kiss him. He chickened out, he knew he would. He placed a small peck on his forehead and went to back away, only to have Tony's grip around his wrist. Seeing that Tony wasn't looking at him now, Steve's heart sank, "Tony, I'm sorry."

Without a word, Tony tightened the grip on the super soldier's wrist.

"I shouldn't have done that, I'm sorry. It was out of line-"

Tony snapped back, ignoring the apologies, "So what's the deal? You mess with Sammy and now you think you have the balls to mess with me? How does the phrase go? 'I've tasted blood and I want more?"

"What are you talking about, Tony?" Steve tried to pull his wrist away, but Tony stayed firm.

"I mean I show up and you two are the definition of awkward. First off nobody touches her, and nobody touches you. I'll have a word with her later."

Steve looked Tony over. His face was red and he couldn't tell what emotion was more prominent: Anger, embarrassment, or confusion. "Tony, I didn't do anything with Sammy. I wouldn't do anything to a girl I thought you were interested in. We were just talking about a sensitive topic and we were embarrassed when you walked in on it."

"I'm not interested in Sammy, I'm protecting her!"

"I know, she explained it to me," he still tried to fight back without hurting Tony or letting Tony see him cry.

Tony caught what Steve had just said, "Wait, you thought I was with Sammy?"

"She said the same thing." Steve caught a sparkle of hope in Tony's eyes, or what he hoped was hope.

"But you just kissed me."

"I said I was sorry, Tony. That was way out of bounds, I shouldn't have done that without talking to you first. But Sammy had told me about how it was okay for a man to like another man and she told me to take control. I don't know what came over me to do it now-" Steve fell into the silent bliss of Tony's lips back against his.

The genius gently pulled him down on the bed, causing the soldier to climb on top of him. It took him a moment, but the hero closed his eyes and relished in the taste and moves of Tony Stark below him. They broke for a moment to breathe. "Tony?" Steve rested his hands on Tony's hips.

"That girl's smart," Tony smiled, "Leave it to her to trick you into making the first move."

"Trick me, what?" Tony kissed him again and started pulling out the captain's button up shirt.

"She's got a sixth sense for people. She called me out on liking you and must have caught it with you too. I was in denial that the great Captain America would be interested in a fuck up like me. You're too perfect for a smudge like me on your life." He slid his hand up the un-tucked shirt, tracing every unseen crevices of the Captain's perfectly sculpted body.

"Wait, you?" Steve panted under Tony's touch. The familiar tension is his groin growing with every light finger over his chest. "I'm not perfect, and you aren't a fuck up."

"I beg to differ," Tony pulled him into another kiss.

Sammy sat outside Tony's room knowing damn well that if she wished to keep her mind free of visuals of her uncle's sex life, she'd sit there for hours before going back in. She saw a young boy, maybe 13 or so, looking around franticly. He pulled a piece of paper out of his pocket and studied the numbers on the doors. Before she could say a word, the boy was running down the hall.


End file.
